The recent haze in Indonesia is likely to be an important issue of discussion at the upcoming climate talks in Paris. Environmentalists are vehemently opposing the cutting down of tropical rainforests in Indonesia and Malaysia which are damaging ecosystem of these countries. The green brigade has been voicing its “concern” over the blind deforestation that occurs in the forests of these countries at the expense of development. Or so they lead us to believe. Palm oil has been a major target in these lobbying tactics against development primarily because it is a soft target and so are the companies and countries producing it. The question that begs to be asked is: Are the environmentalists justified in this opposition? Actual data does not support the transnational environmentalist arguments. Here’s why: The Real Culprits? U.S. and EU As per U.S. Environment Protection Agency, burning of fossil fuel is the single largest contributor of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Climate An...
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It’s April!! Time to bid farewell to another special batch on campus!!! I write my very first Farewell to the Batch of 2013 – 15. The day brings back emotions filled with memories, some good and some otherwise. Each will be remembered with equal fervour. Much like students, the day is also very significant and painful for the members of faculty as well. It’s the end of another journey on campus. Each batch makes for an interesting chapter in the life of a faculty. Over the Two Years, the bond that develops, the camaraderie, academic learning, the joy of interacting with some brilliant students, hand holding and guiding others, the pride in students doing well in their academic careers are all etched on to the memory for a life time. Personally for me, the Class of 2013-15 has many firsts (including this blog!). I owe my firsts to you and thank you for enriching my own journey in academia. 1. T he addition of politics and presentations on as...
Image Source : www.drsophiayin.com As we all know that over the years human values have fallen considerably, each year at a rate faster than the preceding year. The reasons for the same are far too many. Yet, in stark contrast, the numbers of pet owners have increased substantially. The reasons for this rise can be attributed to more aware and matured (using this term with lot of apprehension and restrain) society towards well being of animals and birds and off course, the STATUS symbol. Owning a pet for former is a noble gesture, while the latter is very cruel to both, the pet as well as the human beings. Having stayed in upmarket residential locations of the Maximum City (in South Mumbai have stayed at Chowpatty and Churchgate and now in Bandra – the King of Suburbs) I know the number of people who own pets for the latter. A great majority of people who own pets as a status symbol are blindly aping the Bollywood and Sports celebrities and the Very High Networth Individuals (VHN...
In the latest Assembly elections of Delhi, the voters gave a thumping majority to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) by electing its representatives on 67 of the total 70 seats contested, while the candidates of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) won the remaining three seats. Parties like Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) among others, returned empty handed. By looking at these numbers, it’s obvious that the voters of Delhi have rejected national parties (BJP, Congress, etc. etc.). But what’s significant here is the meteoric rise of Modi-Shah combine and that of BJP has been halted. Delhi has proved that Modi-Shah and BJP too are not indispensable. The loss of BJP is attributed to many factors including the choice of its chief ministerial (CM) candidate – Kiran Bedi, lack of co-ordination amongst party office bearers and off course the strong pro-hindu (and anti-other religion) statements by Rashtriya Swayam Sangh (RSS) members, patrons of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and some of the elected represent...